Isaiah Thomas on Pursuit of NBA Contract: ‘I Just Love This S–t Too Much’

Jack MurrayMarch 13, 2024

Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images

Hitting the hardwood in the NBA G-League may not be appealing to many 35-year-old former All-Stars, but Salt Lake City stars guard Isaiah Thomas is just thankful for the opportunity.

When asked his motivation for signing with the Utah Jazz affiliate, he had a pretty simple explanation.

“I just love this s— too much,” Thomas said, per Jay King of The Athletic.

Thomas has played three games with Salt Lake City and has put up some pretty impressive numbers. He is averaging 32 points, 5.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 37.3 minutes in that time.

He recognizes that attempting a comeback is not the easiest option but said that its worth it because he feels like he has “good years of basketball left.”

“It would be so easy to just quit and be at the crib,” Thomas said, per King. “Anybody can do that. I just know I have so much more left in the tank. The biggest hill I had to overcome was being hurt. That was depressing because I’d never been in a situation where I can’t control what’s going on. And once I was able to overcome that, it was like, just sharpen my skills, be ready for the next opportunity.”

Thomas was in top form before a right femoral-acetabuler impingement with a labral tear derailed his career. He made his two All-Star appearances during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons and averaged 22.2 and 28.9 points respectively during that stretch.

Following the injury diagnosis, he bounced around to several franchises and struggled with ailments and had more of a reserve role. He last played in the 2021-22 season, but his play in the G-League could potentially net him another opportunity.